Five things we learned from Sunday’s game
Ogbah’s having ProBowl season
Emmanuel Ogbah delivered the game’s first sack, which led to Shaq Lawson’s 36-yard fumble returned for a touchdown, and it was seventh straight game the fifth-year veteran has recorded at least half a sack. Ogbah, who signed a two-year deal that’sworth $15 million this past offseason, has sevensacksonthe season, whichis a career-highandif the27-year-old keeps up this pace he’ll likely be a contender for Defensive Player of theYear.
Sanders in a leagueby himself
Jason Sanders set a new franchise recordwith the 50-yardfield goal he made in the fourth quarter that gave Miami a 34-31 lead with 3:30 left in the game. Sanders tied OlindoMare’s franchise record of kicking 19 consecutive field goalsonhis56-yardfield goal, which happened to be a careerlong, earlier in the game. But the 50-yarder gavehim20consecutive field goals made going back to last season.
Dolphins defense scores anotherTD
At this rate the Dolphins defense might outscore a couple of the NFL’s struggling offenses. For the second straight week the defense scored a touchdown off their own when Shaq Lawson picked up a sack-fumble Emmanuel Ogbah caused and ran it back 36 yards for a touchdown. Last week Andrew Van Ginkel scored on a sack-fumble, and ChristianWilkins’ interceptionandKyleVanNoy’sfumble recovery put the Dolphins inside the red zone.
Not often that a first-half timeout looms large over the result of a game, but this one did
The Cardinals, on their final possession of the first half, faced a third-and-7 from their 26. Kyler Murray found receiver Andy Isabella at the first-down marker, however, Isabella voluntarily gave up a yard to try creating abigger play. But the Dolphins’ ShaqLawsonwrappedupIsabella immediately, a yard short. Cards coach Kliff Kingsbury, not aware that he was now facing a fourth down immediately called timeout with 59 seconds left. That timeout allowed Brian Flores to keep his in his pocket. Arizona punted, and the Dolphins, aided by them taking that timeout, drove into position forJasonSanders to crush his half-ending 56-yard field goal. Itwas the difference in the game.
Dolphins survived couple of amateurish flags
In the third quarter, Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard turned his head back toward an underthrown fourthdown pass by Murray and was making a play on the ball but was called for a pass interference foul. The correct no-flag would have given the Dolphins the ball at the Cardinals’ 46 with the score tied, 24-24. Instead, Arizona went on to score a go-ahead touchdown. Then, in the fourth quarter, Christian Wilkins grabbed Murray across his right shoulder pad, tilting the diminutive Cardinals’ upper body. On the play Arizona was called for holding, which would have created a secondandwith less than 11 minutes left in a, 31-31, game. ButWilkins was tagged with a facemask transgression to offset the penalties. Miami did manage to later stop the Cards on downs. Thewinwas made even more impressive with these extra impediments.